Why in the world is this recommended as a novel for young adults? Its heroine is 30 years old, and the series is about university power plays and town-gown politics.

It’s “99% natural,” and is better than many cleaning products out there. Since it’s made by Clorox, it’s readily available. But if you are concerned about that unnatural 1%, there’s an array of cleaners that would be more suitable. Then again one has to keep in mind that “natural” doesn’t nessarily translate to “environmentally friendly” or “green.” To the credit of this product line, its web site lists ingredients and explains its use of the term “natural.”

This article on Care2 is very helpful in determining what you do not want in a household cleaning product.

This collection of 3 interconnected novellas set in academia was a highly entertaining read. The felines creeping through the text were not all that earned this work a comparison to Poe. Suspenseful and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.

I just read this first of Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley mysteries in order to compare it to the BBC television version, which was shown in the US on PBS’s “Mystery.” It is more complex than the movie, even though the movie was allotted 2 90-min. episodes instead of one. Also, it is a more harrowing experience than the movie, which considerably softened the story for tv. George’s writing is top-notch. I found the scenarios hard to digest, emotionally, even though I thought I knew what was coming, more or less. Despite the difficult motivation for the crime(s), I am already into the series’ next book, without my vision being colored by the companion tv movie. That can wait.

This memoir of working as one of the first women on the sales floor at Tiffany & Co. was informative and sweet, but a bit dull. It’s an easy read and definitely suitable for a young adult reader. If you like stories about New York and “career girl” narratives you might enjoy it. I’d hoped for a bit more.

This was a compelling and readable work about the historical, thoroughly Jewish Jesus, but still a speculative one. The illuminating material is textual, about the composition of the canonical gospels, and the literary differences between the “Q” source and sources influenced by Pauline Christology. I enjoyed having the story of the Messianic movement, John the Baptist, and Jesus enhanced by archaeology, geography, and interpretations of early Jewish and Christian writers, particularly Josephus. The material about the Talpiot tomb, which Tabor contends is almost assuredly the tomb of Jesus and his family, makes a sensational, exciting popular read. But publishing this material so early and collaborating on a Discovery Channel documentary rushed its study and turned it into bad scholarship and slapdash science. Its overconfidence in its conclusions is due to lack of peer review. I’m still glad I read this book, and I admire its enthusiastic ecumenical spirit, but I’m pretty disappointed in its optimistic conclusions after reading learned responses to it. You can read much more about academia’s early 2008 reaction to Tabor’s work and his collaboration on a TV documentary in the set of links given in this blog post: http://www.bombaxo.com/blog/?p=482

There was blood, and plenty of gooey oil, in “There Will Be Blood.” Run, don’t walk, to see this movie! It is astonishing overall, weird and funny in places. Skillfully acted, beautifully shot, with a memorable score by Johnny Greenwood. The child actor Dillon Freasier, debuting here, is sure to have a bright career. He was perfectly cast. I didn’t want this film to end, despite its often grim subject matter, because it was gripping too. I’m now going to read the source material, Upton Sinclair’s “Oil.”

If costumes are all you’re looking for in a costume drama, then go for it, because you won’t find much drama. There was something anachronistic in the perspective of this period piece, which perhaps could be attributed to poorly adapted source material and some smug voice-overs. I could find little that was compelling in these upper class historical characters, all unlikeable in their various unremarkable hypocrisies. Particularly puzzling was the portrayal of Sarah by Jodhi May, a blank performance that might have aroused sympathy for the character had she suffered trauma or brain damage. Since there was nothing in the narrative to explain such strange affect, it was merely annoying. All in all, this was a long, boring film.

My older Signet Classics edition had translations of the book’s numerous French phrases and dialogue, but there were no notes to that effect within the text. I struggled through on my own, and didn’t see the translations until the end of the book. A Penguin edition would probably have clear footnotes.

Also, be steeled for the main character’s anti-Roman Catholicism. It was sort of a surprise to me, but I’m not sure why. I still liked Lucy’s mind. How I could stomach Emanuel’s hypocrisy and sexism and still fall a little in love with him is also mystifying. He’s human and flawed and fully written, I suppose.

I’ve been on a Bronte kick recently, and haven’t been disappointed. In that I adore their novels, I don’t need to make distinctions between the 3 sisters, do I? I am aware of their different biographical details and have kept those in mind while reading. “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” was gripping and heartbreaking, and I can imagine it would have felt modern and controversial in its time for its themes. The two novels I have left to read are “Agnes Grey,” for which I have high hopes, and “The Professor,” which I think is supposed to be a lesser novel than “Villette.”

A free 10-card sample is available for LiveJournal users by friending lj-user “moocards.” Just received mine today. They’re adorable. They’re smaller than standard calling cards. With a glossy card stock and high color print quality, these seem nicer than what I could print myself on my home inkjet printer. I don’t know anyone else who has Moo cards, so I haven’t gotten into the trend of collecting them. Unless that changes, I probably won’t be purchasing any. Recommended as a modest, sweet little luxury.